Riot Games has revealed the findings of its VALORANT match fixing investigation, claiming to have found no evidence of cheating, coordinated manipulation, or betting-related misconduct in the NA Challengers scene. The investigation came amid a huge community debate triggered by a video on the subject from former Counter-Strike pro and popular streamer Sean Gares.
No evidence of cheating found
In a statement on Riot’s competitive operations website, the company explained that it undertook a joint investigation between its internal league operations, esports compliance, and ant-cheat departments, as well as ‘integrity partners’ Sportradar, GRID, and the International Betting Integrity Association. Ultimately, no evidence of cheating, manipulation, or betting-related misconduct could be substantiated, per the announcement.
This investigation came after seismic allegations of match fixing and cheating from streamer Sean Gares, whose highly-anticipated video, titled The Dark Side of Competitive VALORANT, went in-depth into how alleged match fixers solicit players, and VOD reviewed matches involving Shopify Rebellion Black — who he was the General Manager of at the time — in which he suspected opposition players had cheated in some way.
Screenshots deemed untrustworthy
Much of Gares’ revelations revolved around leaked messages showing players in North America’s second tier being approached by alleged fixers proposing they underperform in exchange for five-figure sums of money. These messages included screenshots provided by the fixers believed to have shown examples of their previous winnings.
One screenshot in the video showed what Gares believed to be a $133k bet on a game between TSM and Ambrosia with a payout of $230k. However, this was later found to have been a redacted screenshot previously shared by a user on X showing a bet on a Pacific match between DRX and T1.
Riot appeared to reference this error in their statement, with one screenshot that was ‘determined to reference an unrelated event’, along with ‘no suspicious betting patterns’ having been found, leading to their conclusion that ‘allegations were deemed not credible’.
Their post also states that their betting partners reviewed markets around NA Challengers games for 2025 so far and failed to find suspicious activity.
‘No signs’ of cheating found
As well as the allegations of match fixing, Gares’ video also highlighted suspicious activity in the other direction, focusing on the performances of Blue Otter players Adam “Fair” Elheroun Bob “Bob” Tran in a game against Shopify Rebellion Black.
Clips in Gares’ video showed dramatic improvement in their play from one game to another, despite both having played with other teams between BLUE matches and seemingly not having had time to practice. The players were thought to have navigated maps unusually, with Gares implying that Blue Otter members somehow knew SRB players’ positions.
Once again, Riot was unable to find evidence of wrongdoing. Their statement explains that ‘no signs of cheating or suspicious activity were found’ in the match between BLUE and SRB, nor was anything found in six other matches referenced in the video. They also found ‘no evidence of misuse’ of broadcast clean feeds.
There were also allegations online that a Riot employee had potentially been involved in cheating, however Riot revealed that such claims were retracted by third-party sources and no subsequent evidence was provided.
Riot Games investigation conclusion:
‘Upon conclusion of the review, there was insufficient evidence to substantiate any claims of cheating, coordinated manipulation, or betting-related misconduct by any players, teams, or organizations.
‘While the investigation was exhaustive, Riot Games will continue to monitor the situation and reserves the right to further examine the matter or take additional action, particularly if new, credible information emerges.
‘Riot Games is committed to protecting the integrity of our esports competitions. We will continue to work in close partnership with players, teams, Tournament Organizers, and trusted integrity partners to detect, investigate, and deter misconduct at every level of play. Where appropriate, Riot will cooperate with law enforcement agencies and regulatory authorities to support broader investigations.’
Riot wary of ‘unfounded accusations’ following VALORANT match fixing allegations
The developer closed its statement with a plea to those involved in the competitive scene to not only avoid engaging in illicit activity, but also pointed to the risks of making ‘false, exaggerated, or unfounded accusations’.
‘Whistleblowers play a critical role in protecting fair play and promoting accountability across our esports leagues. Riot Games encourages all members of the esports community to report suspected integrity violations in good faith. At the same time, false, exaggerated, or unfounded accusations can disrupt lives, divert resources from genuine issues, and undermine trust in the integrity process. Furthermore, match-fixing and other forms of integrity-related misconduct may also constitute criminal offenses in many jurisdictions. Such actions can carry serious real-world consequences, criminal prosecution and penalties. Reports should always be based on credible evidence or observations.’
Sean Gares returns to Counter-Strike coverage
Between the release of his video and the announcement of Riot’s findings, Sean Gares has all but put a stop to VALORANT coverage, instead shifting his focus to Counter-Strike, the game for which he’s best known.
Speaking on his stream last month, the former CS pro speculated that he no longer had co-streaming rights for VALORANT esports events, explaining that a pre-tournament activation ahead of Masters Toronto had been cancelled prior to his releasing of the video.
While he indicated that such a decision by Riot had not been explicitly stated to him, Gares added that he was ‘truthfully scared’ that he could receive a copyright strike on his streaming channels should he attempt to co-stream VCT broadcasts.
He added that he felt “punished for being a whistleblower”, and that “not enough was done” by Riot, a situation he described as “beyond disappointing”.
“I’m not done watching VAL, but for now I want to watch CS. I’ve always loved CS. I mean, this is where I was a pro, this is where I came from.”
Bob back on FlyQuest RED
One player at the heart of the allegations was Blue Otters’ Bob, who was also playing for FlyQuest RED in the VCT Game Changers circuit at the time of the allegations. The team chose to bench her soon after Gares’ video was released, pending an internal investigation.
In a post on X on July 25th, a few days prior to Riot’s statement, FlyQuest RED announced Bob’s return to the starting lineup. Quoting the post, FlyQuest Chief Culture Officer & RED Director Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey explained that an internal review ‘found nothing conclusive’, adding that Bob had handled the situation ‘with grace’ and had received continued support from the org during the investigation process.
